Jaci Salazar speaks of her niece who lost her life in April during the Washington County Domestic Violence Coalition event in Washington’s Central Park Thursday while members of the coalition, and her sister, Traci Wenger look on. Photo by Sally Y. Hart

Mayor Sandra Johnson dedicates October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Ribbons were tied to a string that was hung up around the square, each one representing a person in Washington County statistically who have been or will be victims of severe physical abuse, there are 4,384 purple and blue ribbons.

It was a Thursday when Courtney Moore lost her life and it was a Thursday when two of her aunts remembered her publicly during a Domestic Violence Awareness event in Washington’s Central Park. In April, 24-year-old Moore was struck by a vehicle driven by her ex-boyfriend 26-year-old Trenton Dwayne Garber of Montezuma. Moore’s two daughters were in the vehicle at the time. Garber did not face charges.

Through tears, Moore’s aunts Traci Wenger and Jaci Salazar read letters addressed to their niece at the Washington County Domestic Violence Coalition’s event. Wenger spoke of how the death impacted their entire family, including herself and her own children. Salazar shared she sobbed on her commute to work, during her lunch hour and on the way home each day. A moment of silence was observed in honor of Moore.

To conclude the event Brad Koenig with the Domestic Violence Intervention Program said there is help nearby, the coalition can be reached at 319-457-0027 locally or a 24-hour crisis phone line is 1-800-373-1043. It was a Thursday when those gathered in the Central Park learned there’s help available to leave a violent domestic situation.